Malladi Chandrasekhar’s Signature Tour

South India  – 10 Nights / 11 Days :

Day 01 : Arrival Chennai and drive to Mahabalipuram (approx. 1 ½ hrs drive)
On arrival at Chennai International airport, on completion with immigration, custom clearance and luggage collection please proceed to the exit gate of arrival hall. Here you will be met by the TPI representative and transferred to your hotel – INTERCONTINENTAL CHENNAI MAHABALIPURAM RESORT OR WELCOMHOTEL KENCES PALM BEACH.

Day 02 – Mahabalipuram & Kanchipuram Sightseeing
Buffet breakfast at the hotel. At 9:30 AM, you will be picked up from the hotel for an interesting tour Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram. Mahabalipuram is a town on a strip of land between the Bay of Bengal and the Great Salt Lake, in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It’s known for its temples and monuments built by the Pallava dynasty in the 7th and 8th centuries. The seafront Shore Temple comprises 3 ornate granite shrines. Krishna’s Butter Ball is a massive boulder balanced on a small hill near the Ganesha Ratha stone temple. Kanchipuram also known as Kanchi is an ancient city in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state. Considered a holy pilgrimage site by Hindus, it is home to many temples. The 8th-century Kailasanathar Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is a vast complex with intricate sandstone carvings. Ulagalanda Perumal Temple houses a huge statue of Lord Vishnu. A mango tree in the Ekambareswarar Temple courtyard is thought to be sacred.

Day 03 – Mahabalipuram to Kumbakonam by Surface (approx. 6-7 hrs drive)
After breakfast at the hotel, you will be driven to Kumbakonam. En route stop at Pondicherry (or Puducherry), a French colonial settlement in India until 1954, is now a Union Territory town bounded by the southeastern Tamil Nadu state. Its French legacy is preserved in its French Quarter, with tree-lined streets, mustard-colored colonial villas and chic boutiques. A seaside promenade runs along the Bay of Bengal and passes several statues, including a 4m-high Gandhi Memorial. Arrive and check in to your hotel – MANTRA KOODAM KUMBAKONAM.

Day 04 – Kumbakonam to Tanjore (Thanjavur) by Surface (approx. 1-2 hrs drive)
After breakfast at the hotel, you will be driven to Thanjavur. Thanjavur is a city in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Its many temples include the 11th-century Brihadeeswarar Temple, a vast Chola dynasty–era complex with a frescoed interior. Thanjavur Maratha Palace is home to the centuries-old Saraswathi Mahal Library, with palm-leaf manuscripts, and Thanjavur Art Gallery, with bronze statues. Tamil University Museum displays coins, folk arti-facts and musical instruments. Arrive and check in to your hotel – IDEAL RIVER VIEW RESORT TANJORE

Day 05 – Thanjavur – Madurai by Surface (approx. 4-5 hrs drive)
After breakfast at the hotel, you will be driven to Madurai via Chettinad, land of stately homes reflecting old world courtesies and gentleness. The houses belong to merchants who made their fortunes in Burma, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore and Indonesia. All the houses have teak columns and carved doors, hand made tiles, silver furniture, ivory door handles and of course exquisite food.. Madurai is an energetic, ancient city on the Vaigai River. Its skyline is dominated by the 14 colorful gopurams (gateway towers) of Meenakshi Amman Temple. Covered in bright carvings of Hindu gods, the Dravidian-style temple is a major pilgrimage site. Millions attend the processions and ceremonies of April’s Chithirai Festival celebrating Meenakshi and Lord Vishnu. Arrive and check in to your hotel – THE HERITAGE MADURAI. In the evening, visit the Meenakshi Temple is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River. It is dedicated to Thirukamakottam udaya aaludaiya nachiyar Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort, Sundareshwar, a form of Shiva. The temple is at the center of the ancient temple city of Madurai. This temple is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalam. The Paadal Petra sthalam are 275 temples of lord Shiva that are revered in the verses of Tamil Saiva Nayanars of 6th-9th century CE.

Day 06 – Madurai to Thekkady by Surface (approx. 3-4 hrs drive)
Early morning re-visit the Meenakshi Temple. Return to hotel for breakfast. After leisurely breakfast, you will be driven to Thekkady (Periyar), India’s largest wildlife sanctuary in Kerala state. This sanctuary is spread over an area of 777 Sq.Kms, surrounded by an artificial lake over an area of 25 sq. kms. The country’s sole Tiger reserve, Thekkady, with its bountiful treasures of tropical flora and fauna is the ultimate reservoir of many an endangered species and a rich tribal culture. Thekkady is a pleasant heaven on earth for those who love nature in its wild manifestations. Arrive and check in to your hotel – SPICE VILLAGE PERIYAR.

Day 07 – Periyar (Thekkady) Sightseeing
Buffet breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, you will enjoy a Spice Plantation Tour with an naturalist (around 10 AM to 11 AM). At 3 PM, enjoy a boat ride (seat in boat basis) on Lake Periyar. It offers the opportunity to view the natural beauty of the forest with its tall trees and resident wildlife. The Periyar lake was formed by the construction of the dam across the Mullaperiyar River in the year 1895. The lake itself blends seamlessly into the landscape of the region and is a major part of the reserve’s eco system that harbors terrestrial, aquatic and subterranean life forms.. It serves as a major source of water for the wildlife and also comprises of several small islets along its course. The lake is surrounded with a thick dense tree line on either shore. These trees are home to some of the resident avian species that are unique to the Periyar Tiger Reserve. If one is fortunate one can catch glimpses of rare species of birds like the Malabar Grey Hornbill and the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon. Also one can hear the welcome of the lion tailed monkey as it announces your arrival from the tree tops. The duration of the boat ride is one and a half hours.  

Day 08 – Periyar to Kumarakom by Surface (approx. 3-4 hrs drive)
After leisurely breakfast at the hotel, you will be driven to Kumarakom. Kumarakom is a village on Vembanad Lake in the backwaters of Kerala. It’s laced with canals, where houseboats ply the waters. Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is home to many species including cuckoos and Siberian storks. Nearby, the Bay Island Driftwood Museum displays wooden sculptures. In the lake, Pathiramanal Island is a haven for rare migratory birds. Ancient Thazhathangady Mosque is east of Kumarakom. Arrive and check in to your hotel – COCONUT LAGOON KUMARAKOM.   

Day 09 – Kumarakom – Day Free
Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Day will be free to explore on your own or enjoy the Ayurveda SPA or relax at the swimming pool. 

Day 10 – Kumarakom to Kochi by Surface (approx. 2 hrs drive)
After breakfast at the hotel, you will be driven to Kochi. Kochi (also known as Cochin) is a city in southwest India’s coastal Kerala state. It has been a port since 1341, when a flood carved out its harbor and opened it to Arab, Chinese and European merchants. Sites reflecting those influences include Fort Kochi, a settlement with tiled colonial bungalows and diverse houses of worship. Cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, typical of Kochi, have been in use for centuries. Arrive and check in to your hotel – THE TRIDENT KOCHI.

Late morning, enjoy an interesting tour of Kochi visiting the Jewish Synagogue and the Spice market at Fort Kochi. The Jewish Synagogue in Cochin was built in 1568 AD. In Cochin, Synagogue Jewish Monument is the oldest existing synagogue among the common wealth countries of the world.  The Mattancherry Palace, also known as the Dutch Palace, even though it is austere in its appearance, the Mattancherry Palace of Cochin has a quaint charm of its own. The credit for building this landmark monument partly goes to the Dutch, who captured Cochin city of Kerala during the pre-British period. Visit the St. Francis Church at Fort Kochi was built in the year 1503, by the Portuguese traders. St Francis Xavier’s Church is also famous because Vasco-da- Gama, the first European to discover a route to India, died here in 1524 on his third visit and was buried in this church. Also see the Chinese fishing nets at Fort Kochi.

At 4 PM, you will be picked up from the hotel and take you for an interesting Kerala Kaleidoscope show. Kerala Kaeidoscope is daily show at Fort Cochin Theatre. A medley of various dances, Kaleidoscope Kerala redefines the intangibly elusive aesthetics of bliss as it evokes the eternally alluring charm of this many-splendor land and it’s infinitely enriching cultural ethos. It’s a celebration of  a spectacular array of dance forms and musical styles, pure classics along with distinctively ethnic, blending seamlessly with indigenous elements of ritualized theatre, folk traditions and stupefying displays of the native martial art techniques of Kalarippayattu. Showcasing quintessentially magnificent vignettes of Kerala’s rich cultural traditions, Kaleidoscope Kerala is essentially an exclusive, uniquely choreographed repertoire of live classical dance and music performed in a heritage theatre with legendary ritualistic folk invocations and martial arts. It is a medley of many authentic dances of Kerala, especially the sheer splendor of a magical rendezvous with the languid, mellifluously lyrical and graceful Mohiniattam, dance of the enchantress – exquisitely devotional for some, sublimely sensual for others; the rigorously codified majestic spectacle of Kathakali, Kerala’s trademark dance drama instantly recognizable for its dazzling regalia and trance-inducing rhythms, the stunningly totemic and surreally oracular manifestation of the divine in the folk tradition of Theyyam, among a breathtaking mélange of inimitable performing art forms accompanied by soul-stirring ensembles of pristine musical genres, dominated by the mesmerizing roll of the ‘demonic’ drum, chenda.” After show, drop back to the hotel. 

Day 11 – Kochi Departure 
Buffet breakfast at the hotel. In time, you will be transferred to the Kochi airport to board the flight to back home. Tour Ends here…

NOTE: As per the hotel policy check-in is at 2 PM and check out is at 12 PM….

* Return Home with the beautiful memories of your tour *

EXTENSION Tour to South India Tour – 3 Nights / 4 Days

Visiting – Mararikulam (Marari) & Kochi

Day 11 – Kochi to Mararikulam by Surface (approx. 2 hrs drive)
After leisurely breakfast at the hotel, you will be driven to Mararikulam. Mararikulam is a village in the district of Alappuzha, Kerala state. Previously it was a constituency in Kerala Legislative Assembly represented by notable legislators like T. M. Thomas Isaac V. S. Achuthanandan etc. Famous tourist attraction marari beach is at Mararikulam. Arrive and check in to your hotel – MARARI BEACH RESORT.

Day 12 – Mararikulam (Marari)
Day will be at leisure to explore on your own. Relax at the beach side/ swimming pool or enjoy the SPA facilities at the resort. 

Day 13 – Mararikulam (Marari)
Day will be at leisure to explore on your own. Relax at the beach side/ swimming pool or enjoy the SPA facilities at the resort. 

Day 14 – Marari to Kochi by Surface (approx. 2 hrs drive) and Kochi Departure 
Buffet breakfast at the hotel. In time, you will be transferred to the Kochi airport to board the flight to back home. Tour Ends here…

NOTE: As per the hotel policy check-in is at 2 PM and check out is at 12 PM….

* Return Home with the beautiful memories of your tour *